(Adds AstraZeneca comment)
By Lefteris Karagiannopoulos
ATHENS, July 14 (Reuters) - Greece has decided to ban theexport of 25 types of drugs, the Health Ministry said onTuesday, following warnings of possible shortages that riskedleading to a humanitarian crisis.
A ministry spokeswoman quoted the Greek drugs regulator assaying there had been a significant increase in some importedmedicines being shipped back out of the country.
"Abuses by some players in the pharmaceuticals market havebeen discovered," she told Reuters.
The regulator made the warning on re-exports during ameeting at the Health Ministry on Friday, when pharmacistscomplained they faced difficulties in securing some supplies.
The spokeswoman said the ministry would closely checkexports and re-exports over the past 15 days and file complaintsat home and abroad where there is evidence of abuse. Shedeclined to say which drugs would be included in the ban.
However, the head of the drugs wholesalers' association saidthe group had not yet been informed of the ban.
The ban was the latest move in a row over the availabilityof drugs in Greece, with pharmacists, drugmakers, wholesalersand public authorities trading blame while rights group warn ofworsening public health conditions during the economic crisis.
Difficulties over drug supplies in Greece are compounded bycapital controls which prevent companies from sending moneyabroad, imposed last month to prevent the banking system fromcollapse.
Re-exporting drugs across European borders, which allowstraders to buy products in low-cost markets and sell them whereprices are higher, is permitted under European Union free traderules.
Drugmakers have nevertheless urged a curb on re-exports toprevent shortages in Greece but wholesalers trading medicineshave denied the need for such emergency action.
The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries andAssociations (EFPIA), which represents 40 drug companies, calledon Tuesday for "exceptional measures" in "exceptionalcircumstances".
"A proportionate, legislative ban on exporting medicinesintended for Greek patients from Greece would be an appropriateand justifiable response to possible shortages and help to averta potential humanitarian crisis," it said in a statement.
But the head of the Hellenic Association of MedicineWholesalers, Eirini Markaki, pointed the finger at internationaldrugmakers and pharmacists. "Most of the internationalpharmaceutical companies have issued quotas on the amount ofsupplies Greek warehouses can order," Markaki told Reuters.
"We have filed official complaints to the regulator so thatmeasures are taken for this to stop," she said, adding that thecomplaints targeted AstraZeneca, Novartis andJanssen, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. Novartis deniedthat it had limited its supplies to Greece, while Janssen wasnot immediately available for comment.
ASTRAZENECA DENIAL
A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said the firm had met theregulator last week "to dispute the allegations made by theHellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Warehouses".
At that meeting, AstraZeneca said, it had "provided evidenceto demonstrate that we continue to deliver in excess of thequantities of medicines currently required in the Greek market".
Markaki denied any overall increase in re-exports bywholesalers. She said an isolated case of one warehouseexporting 700,000 units of drugs in two days at the end of Junewas under investigation, but all the warehouses combined hadexported only 179,000 items so far in July.
Demand for drugs had increased because customers were tryingto build up their supplies, fearing future shortages, she added.
The pharmaceuticals industry is owed more than 1.1 billioneuros by Greek hospitals and the state-run health insurer inunpaid bills since December but it has promised to keep supplylines open on humanitarian grounds.
Separately, Greek pharmacists will go on strike on Wednesdayto protest about plans in a deal struck between Athens and itsinternational lenders on Monday to make changes to their trade.These include allowing people without a pharmacist's degree toopen a pharmacy. (Additional reporting by Kate Kelland in London; Writing byIngrid Melander; Editing by David Stamp)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
